Boxoffice (Jan-Mar 1961)

Nationwide Poll Names Screen's Who's Who * Exhibitors, Press and Public Film Groups Make Selections POPULRRITV JL All. A mencan THE WINNERS Male 1. CARY GRANT 2. JACK LEMMON 3. ROCK HUDSON 4. TONY CURTIS 5. YUL BRYNNER 6. FRANK SINATRA 7. WILLIAM HOLDEN 8. JOHN WAYNE 9. KIRK DOUGLAS 10. GLENN FORD 11. ROBERT MITCHUM 12. JERRY LEWIS Female 1. DORIS DAY 2. ELIZABETH TAYLOR 3. SHIRLEY MacLAINE 4. DEBBIE REYNOLDS 5. JOANNE WOODWARD 6. DEBORAH KERR 7. AUDREY HEPBURN 8. MARILYN MONROE 9. SUSAN HAYWARD 10. INGRID BERGMAN 11. KIM NOVAK 12. SANDRA DEE By VELMA WEST SYKES FOR THE third successive year, Cary Grant has won first place among the top male stars in BOXOFFICE'S annual poll for the All-American Screen Favorites. Leading the feminine contingent is Doris Day, who has been advancing steadily from her first naming to this select circle in 1951. The others chosen by a cross-section of public groups and theatremen are listed in the adjoining column. There have been some changes in positions in the past year and some new names have been added, particularly to the list of male stars, but the long-standing favorites still hold the majority. Securing the honor for the first time are Sandra Dee, Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis and Robert Mitchum, all of whom have been in the runner-up ranks during the past several years. As so much of the popularity of stars is contingent upon the boxoffice success of their films, it is not surprising that there have been several notable "drop-outs" among the top favorites, some over a long period, in recent years. Either they appeared in no new pictures during the current season or the vehicles and the roles they portrayed did not meet with wide favor. In the case of Cary Grant, topping the poll for the third straight year, the great popularity of his last two pictures, "North by Northwest" and “Operation Petticoat," both running to large grosses during 1960, assured his maintenance of the highest public approval, which has been strongly evidenced at the nation's boxoffices. Doris Day, who had reached second place among the feminine stars in the poll the last two years, received tremendous impetus from the success of "Pillow Talk," which was followed by two additional winners at the boxoffice, "Please Don't Eat the Daisies" and "Midnight Lace." The steady advance of Doris from a singing and dancing star, to a dramatic actress of stature has been notable. She has been teamed with successful male actors, surrounded by lavish productions and dressed in fabulous gowns, all of which accoutrements have contributed to the accolade she has now received. The sure craftsmanship of Jack Lemmon's comedy brought about his almost phenomenal rise to second place in the male ranks this year, from that of no mention among the top winners of last year. "Some Like It Hot," which he and Tony Curtis made with Marilyn Monroe, catapulted all three of these stars to high positions of popularity, while "The Wackiest Ship in the Army" and "The Apartment" brought about the final surge in Lemmon's instance. In fourth place last year, Elizabeth Taylor, who had topped the poll in 1958, now climbs to second place after her two pictures which were winners at the boxoffice, namely, "Suddenly, Last Summer" and "Butterfield 8." With no major release since "Pillow Talk," Rock Hudson who was top man on the poll in 1957, and second last year, is still a strong contender in the third place bracket this year. Even in cases where a star has not been too active in the current year, this carry-over of popular appeal is often noted. Hudson's newfound skill with the comedy situations of "Pillow Talk" gave him a whole new category of fans and a resultant continued high regard as evidenced by his strong position this year. Introduced in the Hitchcock thriller-comedy, "The Trouble With Harry," Shirley MacLaine has been busy almost continuously ever since and her career received tremendous impetus by the interpretation of her role in “Some Came Running." With two successful films to her credit in 1960, "Can-Can" and the hilarious “The Apartment" made with Jack Lemmon, she has now risen from seventh place last year to third place among feminine stars this season. In fourth place, Debbie Reynolds falls from first place last year, but Tony Curtis, who was not among the winners last year, demonstrates great strides in the race for popularity. Debbie, even though a few notches lower this year, has a strong hold on the affections of moviegoers as shown by her successful films, “It Started With a Kiss," "The Gazebo" and "The Rat Race." As for Curtis, after the record-breaking “Some Like (Continued on page 23) BOXOFFICE 19